China and Russia have reached an agreement with the Houthi rebels for the safe passage of their ships through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, Bloomberg reports. The agreement, reached during talks in Oman on Thursday, March 21, ensures that Chinese and Russian vessels will not be targeted while transiting the area.

In a related development, the German Navy frigate "Essen" repelled a Houthi attack during a towing operation in the Red Sea. The frigate's helicopter shot down a Houthi drone involved in the attack, the Bundeswehr announced today.

The "Essen," participating in the EU’s "Aspis" mission aimed at protecting commercial vessels on the crucial maritime route from Asia to Europe via the Suez Canal, has so far downed two enemy drones. Recently, the frigate was in the news for a negative reason when it mistakenly targeted an American drone but missed.

Earlier the same day, another strike on a commercial vessel near Yemen occurred without causing damage or injuries, reported the private maritime security company Ambrey.